Salsa classes in La Chaux-de-Fonds

At BailaBien, salsa means the Cuban one — Casino. It's danced in a circle, not in a line like the New York version. Its roots run deep into Cuban son, mambo, cha-cha-chá, rumba and the social clubs of 1950s Havana. In practice: Afro-Cuban body movement, plenty of improvisation, and a good dose of play.

The high point is the Rueda de Casino: everyone in a circle, figures called out with calls and responses, partners rotating. Simon, who runs the school, learned this very salsa directly in Havana — so the Cuban accent is the real thing, not an imitation.

A class lasts an hour. We start with a warm-up to loosen the body, revisit or lay down the basic step, then add one or two figures. The second half is the practice: we put it all end to end, often in a rueda, and dance for real.

The mood stays light and easy-going: no one's watching you, everyone's counting their own steps. You leave with your legs warmed up, your head full of music and a smile on your face.

Since we dance in rotation — in a rueda for salsa — you don't need to arrive with a partner. You come on your own or with someone, we get you rotating and you dance with everyone. It's actually the best way to make fast progress.

As for levels, there are five: “Beginners — the basics” if you've never danced, “Beginners”, “False beginners” (you've danced before, but elsewhere or long ago), “Intermediate” and “Advanced”. The first trial hour is free, no strings attached.

Classes take place at the Eden Club, Rue de la Serre 83, right in the heart of La Chaux-de-Fonds, in the watchmaking Neuchâtel Jura. It's a real club hall, spacious: room to turn in a circle without stepping on each other, and that club atmosphere that instantly makes you want to dance.

In La Chaux-de-Fonds, you can also combine salsa with bachata — two dances, two worlds, and -10% when you take both. (Kizomba, for its part, stays reserved for Biel.) Enough to fill your week with Latin rhythms without leaving the Neuchâtel Mountains.